Editor’s note: Queer Kentucky is publishing a first person piece by Josie, a middle school student at Ballyshannon Middle School in Union, Kentucky.

Josie found their unsung hero in Frieda Belinfante, and fashioned a dress in honor of Belinfante’s life as a Jewish lesbian woman, a resistance fighter against the Nazis, and her trials as an orchestra conductor — submitted as their entry into the national 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition.

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When I was looking for an unsung hero, finding someone who was part of the LGBTQIA+ community was important to me. In the climate of our world today, this community is still frowned upon and not fully accepted, much like it was in the 1930s and ‘40s, especially when they were targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. In my research , the story of Frieda Belinfante stood out She was not only part of the LGBTQIA+ community, her work during the Holocaust had saved hundreds, if not, thousands of lives.

Her identity and story represent what it was like to be part of a community disliked by many, yet still having the courage not to let it stop you.

After learning Belinfante’s story, one of her most inspiring traits I found was her courage. She didn’t have to help others during the Holocaust. She was already at risk herself – not only by her presence in the LGBTQIA+ community, but also her religious heritage as being half Jewish. In spite of these challenges, she refused to be a bystander, instead, joining the Dutch resistance and doing everything she could to  protect Jews and preserve Jewish culture, up until she was forced into hiding.

Her story is one of heroism, which would not have been possible if she lacked courage or resolve. This makes her evermore inspiring, making her a role model not only for myself, but the many others who fear that because of who they are, they would not be able make a difference in the lives of others.

Belinfante’s early years

Born in Amsterdam to a half-Jewish household, Belinfante lived as a semi-open lesbian throughout her life, creating a successful career in the music industry playing the cello and conducting prior to the Holocaust. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Belinfante was quick to put her music career on hold and join the Dutch resistance. There, her primary role was  forging IDs and participating in the planning of open resistance movements, one of the most known being the bombing of the Amsterdam population registry.

The goal was to destroy the documentation of Jews in the Netherlands, making it difficult for the Nazis to carry out their forced removal and killing. While the plan was partially successful, the Dutch resistance  did succeed in destroying the records of hundreds of Jews, preventing their deportation. But the resistance was betrayed after the bombing, forcing Belinfante into hiding.

At this time, she disguised herself as a man until she escaped to Switzerland where she resided in refugee camps until she immigrated to the United States. She restarted her career in music, growing in the industry once again. But discrimination she had fought against during the Holocaust found her again.

Frieda Belinfante, reportedly dressed in men’s clothing to disguise herself from Nazi informers. Photo credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

In 1962, she was dismissed from the Orange County Philharmonic Orchestra –where she was artistic director and conductor –due to her sexuality and gender. Despite all she had gone through, the courage she showed during the Holocaust never wavered. She continued teaching music until her death in 1995. It is unclear how many Jewish people Frieda Belinfante saved, but it is estimated to have been hundreds if not thousands, all thanks to her unwavering courage.

Josie’s dress in honor of Belinfante

Throughout the creation of this dress, I researched information about Frieda Belinfante and the Holocaust through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Opera and Ballet, where I  found the images used on the pages drawn on this dress.

Belifante’s dress is inspired by the silhouette of formal wear dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, the fashion of the few who refused to be bystanders and saved their neighbors, whether they knew them or not. The pattern I followed was inspired from her life and struggle. In addition to the style and pattern, there are two major components of the dress that tell Freida’s story.

Josie’s ArtEFFECT 2026 dress honoring Frieda Belinfante, displayed at Ballyshannon Middle School. Photo Credit: Ballyshannon Middle school.

Along the neckline of the dress, a gradient rainbow has been painted in between each of these ruffles. The rainbow symbolizes the LGBTQIA+ community, including Frieda and many others who worked tirelessly to save those persecuted during the Holocaust. The placement of the rainbow in between the ruffles represents the many who could not be open about who they were But just because they could not be open, that didn’t mean that their place in the community changed.

Down the left side of the dress, there are multiple layers of ruffles gathered behind a layer of foam pages depicting Frieda’s story. These ruffles are meant to represent the stories of those Frieda saved, most of which were not known to her, but survived due to her courage and bravery.

The top layer of pages, made of foam and a brighter white to stand out from the rest of the dress, depict different time stages of Frieda’s story. Amongst these pages are three hand-drawn images of Frieda, all from different points of her life. The top image is her in her teens playing the cello, meant to represent what she loved doing and how her life was as complex as any other before the Holocaust. The image below the first is of Frieda wearing a man’s disguise after the resistance was outed and until she escaped Switzerland.

Frieda Belinfante conducting in her later years in the United States. She refused to let the Holocaust or discrimination end her music career, and continued teaching until her death in 1995. Photo Credit: Nationale Opera and Ballet, Netherlands.

The final image is of her later in her life after she immigrated to the US and continued her career in music, not having let the Holocaust put an end to what she loved. The rest of the pages are outlines of fake IDs she put together,  one of the major jobs Frieda had in the Dutch Resistance that ended up saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives during the Holocaust.

At the end of the day, I want my art to be a reminder of the courage that can save lives, if we are willing to let it. The Holocaust itself was a tragedy, taking more lives than anything ever should, all because of power and hatred. But what prevented it from taking more was the courage of those who stood up for their neighbors, refusing to be bystanders as humanity tore itself apart. To this day, power and hatred still tear humanity apart, feeding on those who the powerful deem powerless.

Like this dress, humanity itself is held together only by the thin threads of those who believe that humanity can be better and have the courage to try and make it so. Frieda Belinfante’s story is just one of thousands of others who didn’t let others break the foundation of their courage. This not only inspires me and my actions, but could inspire others and their actions, which could lead to a humanity in which unity drowns out hatred and light drowns out darkness.